i know this isnt a hotrod but you guys have helped me out numerous times in the past so i figured i would give it a shot. my 1996 Blazer drains its battery non stop.. if i leave it hooked up the battery will be dead by the end of the day. i dont know if it has anything to do with the fact that the blazers head lights stay on when the key is turned.. ( not sure if it was supposed to have running lights or if someone added it) i know someone added an after market remote start that i have unhooked because the fuses going to the box where melted... and ideas? i figure i have a loose wire touching metal somewhere.. Is there a simple way to track down a wire like this.. or am i just going to have to pull out the whole dash.. any help would be awesome

You might have a short somewhere......... I'd start by un-hooking anything that was spliced into the OEM wires..... ie radio, amps, lights etc..... see if you still have the issue. If the issue goes away, then hook them back up one at a time to locate the faulty circuit.

Use a flashlight and look at the cable that comes from the battery to the starter, the wire from the starter to the fusebox as those are hot at all times, look for any melted wires under the dash.

I'm thinking there is a draw somewhere in your system. A short to ground would likely burn out the wire that was shorted.

I would pull the positive battery cable and put a test light or an ammeter between them, then start pulling fuses one at a time, until the light went out or the ammeter went to zero. At least then you know what circuit to be looking at.

If I remember correctly..... those late 90's vehicle had a lot of memory type circuits........ so If you pull the fuses one at a time, you need to wait several minutes before you pull the next one to let the capicitors bleed off, otherwise you wouldn't be able to tell etc....

I'd still inspect the wires 1st, then go into circuit elimination..... I'd check to see the all the interior lights and thier switches aren't shorted..... dome lights and make sure any and all door switches work properly including the rear hatch. The wires in the hatch might be in a flexible boot that moves with the door, that area would interst me alot. Glove box light, console etc......

I'm thinking that since it goes dead in just a few hours that you have more than a slight draw, you have something that's shorted or shorting out and that's causing the massive draw. And if that's correct, use your hands to actually feel the wires to see if thay are getting hot

Something you said reminded me of a problem I had with a Dodge van I had, and maybe something you could check. The daytime running light module packed it in and the headlights stayed on permanently. You could unplug the module just to try it.

just an update.. i pulled out the dash and removed a ton of wires as well as a after market black box that i assume was for remote start even tho it did not work. when i plug in the battery and use a amp meter on it i can sit and watch it drain.. i left the meter connected and watched it drain from 12.2 to 12.05 in about a minute and a half... no wires under the dash look melted or even got hot.

So if you disconnect the battery for the day, it will start the vehicle OK after you hook it back up ? When you started at 12.2 volts that's less than a 50% charge. Did you have the battery checked under load?

If it's OK, then take the + cable off the battery, put a test light between the post and the cable and start pulling fuses. BTW, you were using a voltmeter not an ammeter. If it's drawing that much power you probably shouldn't hook up a multimeter in ammeter mode.

I'd start with unhooking the the red wire at the alternator. If you have a diode or 2 burned out power can run through it. Does it charge ok? Another big draw item that you might not notice is on is the rear de-fogger.

Man that's some draw. I assume you checked the, cable from the battery to the starter and fuse blk and they were ok. I also assume you are charging the battery back up with a charger...... so with a fresh charge on the battery, after 20 min, battery hooked up, place your hand on the alt housing, if it's warm, you prob have a short in the internal regulator etc....... Has the alt been replaced/ rewired lately?

I had a 96 Blazer with similar problem. Turned out to be in the radio circuit. Pull the fuse that serviced the radio and it was ok.
Sorry, this was a beater, parts car, that was bone yard bound and I never did actually repair the problem. Darned thing also had a glitch in the wiper circuit. If it was cold and dry outside, the wipers would work. If the temp got over 55 degrees, or rainy, no wipers.
The cruise controll would activate the throttle at any time, for no reason, with switch off and sometimes at almost a stop. Strange gremlins in that thing..

ensure your ABS pump is not energized, they love to short. good advise above going through the engine fuse box. Found a odd problem on a 98 Tahoe, the knife blades on the fuse wore from ruff years of dirt roads, replaced all the fuses with new it solved many issues

The battery is being recharges. It's a red top ultima deep cell battery.. No the altinator has not Been required lately. The remote start is completely gone. Also the 1996 model does not come with a engine compartment fuse box, just the one on the side of the dash

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